China's imports of refined copper amounted to 47,000 tons in
May, down 60.7 percent from the same month a year ago, according to
data from China's General Administration of Customs.
Customs said in the first five months of this year, China
imported 324,000 tons of refined copper, down 41.6 percent year on
year.
Despite the decline in imports, China's domestic copper supply
was sufficient due to increased copper production and decreased
demand, China Business News quoted market analysts as
saying on Tuesday.
From January to May, China's copper output increased by 220,000
tons compared with the same period of 2005. Industry insiders
attributed the decreased copper imports to the price gap between
domestic and international markets, predicting that China's imports
of copper would continue falling in June.
(Xinhua News Agency June 28, 2006)
